Cost of living crisis/kWh Measuring Contest

Heh. I'm pretty sure that would cover the wages of all the staff members they need to get the place fully operational again.

Never bothered me. All the other kids had to queue and pay and I just headed over for the free tickets. Thought it was brilliant as a kid, I could shortcut the queue !

As a kid I was completely invincible to any cruel words. It would’ve just confused me. All I knew was I got my meal tickets quicker and we all got sausage, chips, and beans for lunch !

A teenage me would’ve been miserable about the whole free meal thing; luckily enough I’d moved onto packed lunches by then so it didn’t matter. Still. Would’ve been grim.

You think that's grim, I was vegetarian at an early age and at school had to sit on the 'special' table, which included a kid with dietary requirements who looked like a walking corpse, and two geography teachers.



Two.
Geography.
Teachers.

Our queueing system took place at around 10am every day during a short morning break, so that was an additional reason to fuck it off - I wan't my break godammit!

Most kids sold their tokens on the black market for 50p (think they were worth 65p) and headed down the chippy/Spar instead.

Did you supply rock hammers as well ?

This is such a fucking bizarre country. Pretty sure everywhere else in norther Europe kids just have a pack lunch with a simple cheese or ham sandwich and some fruit.

That's wot I had from 6 to friggin 18 pretty much (by secondary school I supplemented with some naughty snacks).

There wasn't a black market at my school as such, there were two or three kids that forced you to buy the ticket under the unsaid implication that you'd get decked if you didn't. They'd be pally with you on the surface of course. It was like the Sopranos.

It had its advantages though. You'd be passing the queue, the scent of McCains chips heady, the nails kids would be at the front (of course) and their usual marks (me) would be summoned by surname.

I'd hand over my pound coin for a £1.10 ticket and be granted the same place in the queue. He'd buy cigarettes and I'd get chips first.

When I was getting tw#tted in a fight my ticket racket guy jumped in on my behalf, so that was like the Clubcard reward.

In all seriousness with how woke the kids generally are now (it really could be a better generation if they survive) I reckon there will be a lot less stigma about it now and there wasn't that much then.

That said, it should be pre-loaded cards now. Parents top up the balance and the local authority keeps a balance on the cards of qualifying kids. Nobody knows then.

I think it differs from council to council but ours free meals system relies on being on qualifying benefits. That might fail people in this climate.

Good shit:

I live alone and pay £145 a month after that last hike. Who is still paying £100 a months

Also, fuck.

Jesus. I really worry for the elderly and those on low incomes. It can't continue, surely?

In Spring I noticed our old gas meter was stuck on the same reading. I notified Scottish Power that it needed fixed by online chat only for them to tell me to phone their customer service number instead. I tried this twice and was cut off both times, by them, as the service was "too busy." I then wrote a letter to their HQ, then when I got no response to that I found an email address and emailed them (no response either). I have continued to submit readings when prompted, thinking that it'll surely flag up somewhere and prompt a visit.

Our energy bills were always £145-160 before the energy crisis and have now dropped automatically to £104.

I will continue to attempt to arrange a gas meter fix/replacement but am seriously wondering how many years I could get away with free gas thanks to SP's crap communication..

Edit:
I don't mean to sound smug about the situation, I just think it's perverse

dasbooter. I have a similar issue with my mum's meter. She had a leak, so the network owner replaced it, and included the previous meter reading. I have been trying since to give them accurate meter readings. Their estimates aren't quite right but not massively out but still enough to try and sort. I've tried loads of different routes and nothing sticks. She's 84 and basically had the heating on all last winter so keen that it's right. Will keep plugging away and taking photos of the meter for future evidence.

The logic was sound bit ofc there's always the flip side. Haven't read the thread but presumably it's the war driving prices even higher?

There are ways to fix this but absolutely none of them are short term. Sadly, I think it's going to be a few thousand extra dying this year. It won't just be us but, globally, probably a few million.

I really wish we just had some more fucking sunlight to make solar worth it in winter.